Njord
Latest updated Saturday, January 4, 2025, 133 comments
Images | Particulars | More about | Background and history
Plans, Njord - 185 EUR
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Njord is a hybrid – designed to combine Nomad´s touring qualities with the playfulness of Black Pearl. More precisely I have strived for the speed and efficiency of Nomad and the ease of rolling from Black Pearl. Some compromises are of course inevitable - Njord does not load as much as Nomad and it does not manoever as easily as Black Pearl.
Instead, Njord is a kayak with a large action radius with or without camping gear, with a potential for high touring speed i all conditions, and at the same time as easy to roll as a small playboat.
The keywords are:
- fast – high touring pace and long distances with a modest amount of work,
- safe – low profile with minimal windage and calm, easy movements, means that you sit dry and at ease even in chaklinging conditions,
- cooperative – Njord does what you want it to, regardless if it is ambitous daily runs with a comping loaded kayak, play, surf, rockhopping or a rolling contest...
Njord has at two occations been used for HBB (Havspaddlarnas Blå Band; the Swedish Sea Kayakers Blue Ribbon).
Bengt Carlsson 2010, with HBB-nummer 130, a total of 2532 km in 74 days.
Ove Sigvardsson 2014, with HBB-nummer 156, a total of 2333 km in 43 days.
Dan Caouette built a Njord for Gonzalo Martínez-Monche Zaragoza in Spain:
"Dear Dan,
Nereida is just INCREDIBLE
We have been paddling together an is FAST, ELEGANT...and almost sexy!!
I still don´t have photos on the sea, but believe: everybody turns and stare at her.
I can stand about 5-6 Knots, she surf waves, is stable...the perfect kayak??
I am a HAPPY MAN
Thank you Dan!!!!!!!!!!!".
Building photos (many!) from another Njord built by Dan Caouette
Photos and shoer reports from my building of the prototype some 20 years ago
Photos from Tomi Biloglavs Njord project (hundreds of photos weith comments)
A very special Njord is this 3-part version byDanne!
Another building diary,
A well documented diary by Niklas Gunnarsson har (a light Njord in Paulownia)
Two reviews in Swedish (translated by me):
Njord quickly became may favorit after launching in Februar. It weights 17 kg and is easy to cartop. Roomy enough for tent, sleeping mat and sleeping, clothes, food etc I use it for multiday toursin open sea. It is fast and excellent in rough sea conditions and above all, very easily rolled, not quote as Black Pearl but surpricingly close.
An unbeatable combo is to habe a Black Pearl for short trips, exercise and rolling, and a Njord for serious touring. Why just one kayak? You have different skis for different purposes.
A detail – the built-in compass is a valuable addition. The need for one may appear suddenly and unexpected, and it feels good that it is there.
Njorden is indeed very cosy and comfortable. Not much to think about – build one!
Björn Welin, www.bjornkajak.se/
- The comfort is excellent, suits me perfectly and the kayak feels like an extension of the body. I am 183 cm and weight 75 kg.
- Njord is fast!. I paddle in 9-9,5 km/h on tours but can keep 12 km/h in competitions (with a wing paddle). For touring efficiency I use a Greenland paddle.
- I have a Frey 543, a fantastic kayak, more playful than Njord but not at all as fast. Njord is absolutely not a boring kayak but is best for excercise and long distance touring – and of course for rolling, bt Frey is also good at that. I use Frey for play and surf in waves and Njord everything else. I also have Nelo 540 surfski, and Njord is very close to it in speed on longer distances!
- The lines are the most beautiful I have vever seen on a sea kayak and they are in perfect harmony with the function. It looks as fast as it is. And you sit like a king!. Dessutom sitter man som en kung.
Jonas Nilsson
...and a first comment on one of Dan Caouettes Njord projects:
Dear Dan, Nereida is just INCREDIBLE We have been paddling together an is FAST, ELEGANT...and almost sexy!!
I still don´t have photos on the sea, but believe: everybody turns and stare at her.
I can stand about 5-6 Knots, she surf waves, is stable...the perfect kayak??
I am a HAPPY MAN
Thank you Dan!!!!!!!!!!!
Gonzalo Martínez-Monche Zaragoza (the kayak built on order by Dan Caouette)
Particulars
Njord has moderately rounded chines midships to fascilitate leaned turnes. The shallow V-bottom and angled sides keeps the intial stability relatively low in favour of a strong secondary stability. The chines are rounded toards the stems for calm and easy movements in waves. An accetuated rocker enhances the initial stability without the disadvantages the is an inevitable consequence of excess with (unpredictable movements in waves and less comfortable stroke geometry). Lowering the center of gravity by 2 cm (by a low seat and the rocker) improves the initial stabiity 3 times more than wideing the hull by 32 cm! At the same time it acheives more comfortable paddle strokes and lowers the windage. The ends are short to increase the speed potential and minimize the stems verticak movements on the wind. The low deck means a very good control of the kayak and further minimize the windage – but for paddlers with big feet or predisposition to claustrophobia, there is a higher alternative om the plans (but don't use it unless thinking it through).
| Length¹ |
559/534 cm (overall/WL) |
| Beam |
51/50 cm (overall/WL) |
| Draft |
11 cm |
| Cockpit¹ |
50x38 cm |
| Height¹ |
26/17 cm (in front of/behind the cockpit) |
| Weight² |
15-20 kg |
| Displacement/volume⁶ |
130 kg/304 litre |
| Speed³ |
8.6/12.3 km/h |
| Prismatic coefficient |
0.56 |
| Wetted surface |
2.07 m² |
| Drag⁴ |
1.52/2.73 kp |
| Stability⁵ |
3/4 (initial/secondary stability) |
| Intended use |
Expedition and touring, coastal and deep sea. Rolling and advanced paddling. Day tours and exercise. |
* These dimensions can be adapted to suit personal needs or wishes.
** Depending on type of wood, equipment, care with epoxy usage, sanding etc. etc.
*** The speed numbers are based on mathematical standard formulas (175 lb paddler + 30 lb carco weight) and corrected from the kayaks actual performance om trials, on tours and in races.
⁴ Calculated resistance in 4 and 5 knots (at nominal load capacity).
⁵ Initial stability and secondary stability on a subjective scale, where 1 is very tippy and 5 is very stable.
⁶ Displacement is kayak + paddler + load. Count off the kayak weight to get the load capacity.
Stability
The curve shows the calculated stability with a static load, and therefore of limited use for a real paddler. The part of the curve near zero degrees indicates the initial (primary) stability – the steeper the curve, the more stable. The part of the curve left of the peak indicates end (secondary) stability – the higher and wider, the safer you feel edging the kayak. The position of the peak shows also how much the kayak can be leaned without tipping over. The part of the curve to the right of the peak with rapidly decreasing righting moment is almost impossible to take advantage of.
Plans
The plan sheets contain the information needed to build the kayak. Station molds, stems and construction details are in full scale. Recommended cockpit size is in half scale with offsets for a full scale drawing and advice on altering the size. On the plans you will also find advice on how to shorten or lengthen the kayak. Lines and construction drawings are in metric scale 1:10.
The illustrated step-by-step building manual is in Swedish only, but it is available online in English: it covers all steps in detail and will guide first-time builders through the project.
Plans, Njord - 185 EUR
Purchase
More about Njord
Maximal efficiency (most miles per spaghetti serving) is at just below 5 knots (9 km/t), due to a long waterline and a relatively high PC (0,56). Njord is therefore primarily aimed at strong paddlers with good technique, but with a narrow waterline beam and a very small wet surface it is easily driven at lower speeds as well.
Directional stability is on the low side, to enhance maneuverability in a long kayak, and an adjustable skeg is recommended for touring. Leaned turning works fine and feels safe due to a very high secondary stability. Njord is easily handled – tight turns, sideslips, high brace stops etc – can be spectacular with a technically good paddler. The high secondary stability makes balance brace, even without paddle, very easy.
The volume is relatively small and a little packing discipline and ingenuity comes in handy for longer tours. The experienced backpacker will find room for a weeks supply – but for a paddler used to wide and high commercial kayaks it might be a challenging proposition.
The Njord will initially feel a bit tippy for the novice. The initial stability is relatively low, while the secondary stability is very high – giving a very soft and dry ride. For the experienced paddler Njord feels safe and reliable with easy, predictable movements in challenging conditions.
Njord is based upon eastern Greenland designs and thus have a low deck – some 2 inches lower than the typical commercial kayak (but an inch higher than the original Greenland 19th century kayak). It takes a little getting used to a new seating position, but after a couple of hours the kayak feels like a well fitting shoe – good contact without pressure anywhere. The comfort of a small cockpit may come as a surprise for paddlers used to large volume kayaks, where one have to be tightly locked in between knee pads, hip pads, footrest and a back band to gain control of the craft. The deck behind the cockpit is low enough to reach with the back and head, during a layback roll.
The Njord can be built with an ocean size cockpit or with a large keyhole cockpit. Bulkheads and hatches – two large hatches and a small day hatch - are indicated on the plans, but Njord can be built Greenland style without them. The bulkhead are placed so that the volume in the cockpit is minimized, the aft can be integrated with the seat and rim.
The waterline is long and extended aft, making Njord usable without a skeg or rudder, keeping weight and mechanical complication down. But the downside is loss of speed in a side wind, and for serious touring an adjustable skeg is recommended.
The hull form follows the eastern Greenland designs, with hard chines – but the chines are softened towards the stems, keeping noice and splash down in a chop. The deadrise is slightly steeper than the Greenland originals, which together with a pronounced rocker gives a good balance between directional stability and maneuverability. The rocker furthermore places the paddler a little deeper in the water, increasing stability and lowering the sheer, and thus making the paddling movements more comfortable.
Njord is also slightly more full-ended than the original –- partly to increase the PC and thus the potential top speed and partly to increase the buoyancy without the need for high and wind catching stems. The overhangs are shortened to increase waterline length. The decks are arched to provide more room for gear – except for a flat surface just behind the cockpit (where a paddle can be held as support).
Njord - background and history
The south east Greenland kayak found its form later than the west Greenland types, but late in the 20th century it began to gain popularity around the coast. Compared to older types it was narrower, lower, with more overhangs and a straighter sheer, less deadrise and more flare. It was overall faster (particularly against the wind) and it maneuvered better. With less initial stability it was a demanding craft. In eastern Greenland seal was hunted from kayak until until a couple of decades ago and the tradition is unbroken.
Njord is loosely based on the east Greenland kayaks, mainly the one depicted in the American Museum of Natural History (fig 208 i "the Bark Canoes and Skin Boats of North America"). While no replica – strip instead of SOF, raised deck to create room for gear, less overhang etc – I have strived for an overall feel in handling that is close to the original.
The name is after the god of sea and weather in the old Nordic mythology (in the Icelandic tales he was called Njórdhr and was one of the vanes, father of Frey and Freya).
Njord has a similar ancestory as Black Pearl and Hunter.
